Operating principles define how we operate and interconnect with the world. Some people and companies call them their values. Some people see them as the ground rules. They inform the essence of who we are in the world and encompass the attitude and aptitude of how live. Over the years I have used these 5 C’s to inform decisions, relationships, career choices, and as guiding principles in leading organizations to significant levels of achievement. Every organization has their mission statement and their values. The opportunity is for you to define your personal mission and values and live by them in your business and your personal life. They are the essence of you.
The 5 C’s are communication, collaboration, commitment, competence, and creativity. They represent the five pillars upon which I stand and impacts the choices I make, moment to moment. You can use mine or define your own. These are the ones that I have come to embrace, have endured the test of time, and have served others along the way. What are some of yours?
- Communication is the foundation upon which all interaction is built with our self and others. It shapes how we receive and perceive. Using words, body language, thoughts, actions, and heart-focused energy creates our personal and global world.
A friend of mine eliminated all words from his vocabulary that are negative or violent, e.g. ‘dead’ tired, ‘starving’, ‘crazed’. By substituting feeling words that are positive and peaceful, he lives in a world of feelings and fulfillment.
Consider the possibility of having different results if we change our attitude, our routine, our way of relating to others, or our facial expressions. These are all forms of communication. A friend of mine bought a necklace that said, “SMILE”. She put it on and went out into the world living her life and doing the things she usually did. To her surprise and delight, everywhere she went people responded to her differently than they had before. They smiled at her, were generous with words and actions, opened their hearts to conversation and connection. It transformed her world. One word! What word would change yours?
The opportunity is to elevate how we connect using our vibrational energy. Imagine that we operate like sonar, sending out energy all the time until we get a ping. Depending on the volume, intensity, and resonance, we know how deep a connection we’ve made with another’s vibration. Connecting at a level that transcends words. We are like a radio station and are tuned to a specific frequency that is ours alone. We are always transmitting. When we encounter something or someone that resonates with our frequency… the bells go off! It’s that gut reaction, the inner voice, the Zing! Whether it’s people, or a place, or a thing, i.e. nature, or a pair of shoes that we must have, we know it by the way that we feel. By amplifying our energy, we are more sensitive to others and have the ability to plug into their energy at a level that is aligned with us at the core of our being. This is the heart of Be the Energy!
Energy Activating Techniques: E.A.T.
- Use a mirror when speaking to someone remotely
- Choose a word that inspires you and others
- Speak from the diaphragm and practice using different tones
- Create a new habit, e.g. smiling when you see someone whether you know them or not
2. Collaboration is surrounding our self with ‘like-minded’ or ‘like-feeling’ people who reflect who we are and how we operate in life. Find ways to connect with others through belief systems, shared practices, explore the big and small questions, and gain their perspective to inform yours. Leveraging our respective strengths to create synergy relative to new ideas, products, services, and strategies.
This is easily done in today’s connected world. There are social groups of every kind where people share thoughts and perspectives on both a personal and global level. This could be going to the gym, joining a group, taking a class, participating in a book club, or sharing experiences and expertise using social media. It is how business is done and relationships grow. Connect with others, use your voice, and hear theirs. It is the basis for ‘crowd sourcing’ in today’s terms. Companies are using it to create and refine their offerings or to change or maintain a culture. Create a community that celebrates your belief systems and reinforces the beliefs that are central to who we are at the core of our being.
Energy Activating Techniques: E.A.T.
- Join groups that reflect your interests or lifestyle
- Identify personality styles of friends, family, co-workers, customers, prospects
- Match vibrational frequencies through feeling their energy
- Be interested and interesting by doing your homework
- Operate from your heart, not your head, and focus on how can you can be of service
3. Commitment is driven by our desire to live life to our fullest potential. Daily practices, conscious decisions about how we operate from moment to moment to stay in our heart and be open to all possibilities, surrounding our self with positive people, creating a loving home in which we live, sending loving energy to all people, creatures, plants, and objects, results in an energy ‘conversation’ with that person, creature, plant or object. It is a decision and a lifestyle that we embrace and exemplify in everything we do, how we speak, and how we operate. Focusing on the pleasure of life influences the decisions we make. Being committed to living a life of pleasure will determine what movie you see, what food you eat, and what career you choose. It is your choice to be the best version of yourself.
“We are the embodiment of the information we choose to accept and act upon. To change our circumstances we need to change our thinking and subsequent actions”.
Adlin Sinclair
It is important to us, as a species, that we believe we are making a difference, contributing to a cause, and influencing something bigger than ourselves. This belief feeds the life we live and the work that we do. Alignment of that belief system and our life or work happens gives us a sense of purpose. We are her to serve a purpose. What is yours?
Energy Activating Techniques: E.A.T.
- Know who you are and what is important to you
- Meditate, read, pray for guidance and support
- Listen to your inner voice, it knows what’s best for you
- Believe
4. Competence is an ongoing process, especially today where technology enables increased communication and collaboration, it also requires constant learning. Like life.
“Competence, like truth, beauty, and contact lenses, is in the eye of the beholder.”
Dr. Laurence J. Peter
From my perspective, competence is honing existing skills and developing new ones. I see it as a two dimensional model; skills and techniques on one side, emotional intelligence on the other. It is the X Factor that makes the difference. Both can be learned, one is external, the other internal. Continual improvement means just that, it is ongoing. Do you ever wonder why your 5 yr. old child, nephew, grandchild is so much better at video games than you are? Because they are doing them all the time. The hone their skill and their instinct to anticipate the next move. A very valuable combination of skills that serve us in life and in business.
Energy Activating Techniques: E.A.T.
- Become the expert on who you are
- Develop your Emotional Intelligence
- Ask, “How can I be of service?”
- Be open to vibrating through meditation, humming, singing, tapping
5. Creativity is looking at our self and the world from a different perspective and applying the skills, knowledge, and lessons learned to new situations, relationships, and challenges. One of my pet peeves is the statement, “This is the way we’ve always done it”. My approach is to Re-look, Re-evaluate, Re-fine (the new 3R’s) all aspects of our life, our work, and our relationships to ensure they are aligned with our values and belief systems.
“Creativity is a great motivator because…it makes people interested in what they are doing,
gives hope that there can be a worthwhile idea,
gives the possibility of some sort of achievement to everyone,
and makes life more fun and more interesting.”
Challenge the status quo! Ask why or why not? Is it working/not working? How could we do it more effectively, efficiently, so that it has greater impact? Leverage others, brainstorm, use social media, network, read, watch videos, look for new ideas, ways to do things differently. Take risks. Life is a learning process. Some ideas will work, some won’t. We won’t know which ones will create a new reality unless we experiment and explore.
Energy Activating Techniques: E.A.T.
- 3 R’s – Re-look, Re-evaluate, Re-fine
- Take risks, learn, integrate, apply, iterate
- Answer the two questions about your life and your world
- Have fun and experiment
- Be open to vibrating at a higher level
Life is happening for you, not to you. Define it on your terms based on your values and live it with passion. Try some of the techniques and see, feel, experience how they transform your world. That is my purpose. To elevate your spirit and inspire you to create a new reality. Thanks for reading!
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